Jesus endured the sufferings of Calvary for us.
When we accepted Him, we joined Him in this process of death, burial and resurrection. It became personal. Not only did Christ die for me, but I died in Him and in Him I was raised to new life.
It is very liberating to know and understand that the old you was crucified with Christ and that now you live—not the old you but a new you. You have been raised and seated with Christ. You have a new nature that is acceptable to God.
It is helpful to speak these new creation realities to yourself and allow them to renew or reprogram your mind.
Many years ago, I took a notebook and wrote down every scripture I could find related to my new identity in Christ. I wrote down almost every verse in Paul’s epistles that contained the words “in Christ,” “in Him” and “in whom.” I wore out the paper as I carried it with me and read out loud all that I had and all that I was in Christ. This had a life-changing effect on me. I have never been the same since. It changed my thinking and my speech and it will do the same for any Christian. I highly recommend that you try this for yourself.
Don’t wait for other people to confirm who you are and don’t look to the world for approval.
Become acquainted with who you are in Christ. You will only get this information from God’s Word. Take time to meditate on scriptures that tell you who you are and what you have in Christ. Look for the verses in the Epistles that include the phrases, “in Christ,” “in Him” or “in whom.”
The apostle Paul said, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16). Get to know your true self. Become acquainted with the person you are in Him. Begin to see yourself in Christ and become familiar with your new identity.
You are now a citizen of heaven. This world is not your ultimate home.
The book of Hebrews tells of the people of faith who went before us and they “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland” (Heb. 11:13b-14).
You were made for heaven! We, like them, “desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:16).
We are new creations. We belong in that heavenly city!
I read the story of an elderly missionary couple who had spent decades on a foreign mission field. After many years of faithful ministry, they turned the work over to their successor and began the long journey home.
Their itinerary took them through London and over the Atlantic to New York City. It just so happened they were aboard the same flight as the famous rock group, the Beatles, who were coming to America for the first time. When the plane landed in New York, it looked as if the whole city had come out to welcome the Beatles. The old couple could barely make their way through the crowds that were pressIng toward the plane, cheering and screaming for the famous rock band.
When they finally found a quiet place to rest, the old missionary looked at his wife sadly and said, “Honey, I’m so disappointed, the Beatles are not even from here and they get a hero’s welcome. We’ve come back to our homeland after giving our lives in service to God and there’s not even one person here to welcome us home.”
The wife looked back at her husband with a smile, and said, “No Honey, that’s not true, we’re not home yet.”
This world is not our home, so we’re not home yet.
We’ve been born again and we belong in the city of God. We are new creations with a new destination. When we finally do make the journey to our heavenly home, we’ll get our own hero’s welcome!
If you are struggling to feel at home in this world, that’s understandable. Rejoice in the fact that you are a new creation—old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
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Amen! Isn’t it exciting that the Lord Jesus Himself will come down to welcome us home on the day of resurrection? We will never feel lonely, abadoned or depressed if we know deep down in our heart that He is alway with us no matter what.